Biker Basics: Sheet Metal Fabrication Basics

by Timothy Remus and Rob Roehl

A how-to guide for fabricators working at home and in small shops, this book documents the creation of numerous simple shapes, made mostly with hammer and dolly, hand-operated shrinker-stretcher, and various mallets.

Sheet Metal Fabrication Basics gives the reader the knowledge needed to shape metal without the need for expensive power tools. The reader needs only a simple shop equipped with the most basic of tools. If the first Ferrarris were built using only wooden mallets and hollowed out tree stumps, nearly any sheet metal project can be fabricated with only hammers, bags of shot, dollys and, yes, the occasional hollowed out tree stump.

Master craftsmen like Rob Roehl from the shop of Donnie Smith discuss the types of steel and aluminum that are best suited to motorcycle projects, how to plan and layout a project, and how to stretch and shrink sheet metal without a power hammer and without a Pullmax.

The key is planning, then shaping primarily by stretching. Eventually the various panels must be joined through careful welding. And though many professionals use TIG equipment, there's no reason you can't weld both steel and aluminum through gas welding, as demonstrated in the book.

Start to finish projects include the creation of an air cleaner cover, a seat pan, and a complete fender. The book covers a wide range of techniques, from hand stretching with a hammer and a bag of shot, to shrinking with a small hand operated shrinker-stretcher, use of a hammer and dolly, and the use of an English wheel, both to shape metal and to smooth out the lumps and bumps left by typical hammer work.

You can learn to fabricate sheet metal. All you need is the raw material, the sincere desire to learn, and a copy of "Sheet Metal Fabrication Basics". More than 350 B&W photos spread over 144 pages show the beginner and intermediate sheet metal worker how to create simple shapes in his or her own small shop without expensive power tools.

Long time motorhead Timothy Remus is the author of over thirty titles. Tim reports that the twin responsibilities of writing and publishing leave him with limited free time for the really important things: riding motorcycles and working on projects in the garage.